AT&T’s J.R. Wilson named Wireless Broadband Alliance chairman

Wireless Broadband AllianceThursday 04 October 12

The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), the industry association focused on driving the next generation Wi-Fi experience, today announced the appointment of J.R. Wilson, Vice President of Partnerships & Alliances for AT&T Mobility, as its new Chairman. Chris Bruce, Director of BT, has stepped down after nearly three years as Chairman and taken the position as Co-Chair and Cedric Gonin, Wireless Broadband Director of Orange, will remain as Treasurer. Shrikant Shenwai continues to take the lead on the day…

The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), the industry association focused on driving the next generation Wi-Fi experience, today announced the appointment of J.R. Wilson, Vice President of Partnerships & Alliances for AT&T Mobility, as its new Chairman. Chris Bruce, Director of BT, has stepped down after nearly three years as Chairman and taken the position as Co-Chair and Cedric Gonin, Wireless Broadband Director of Orange, will remain as Treasurer. Shrikant Shenwai continues to take the lead on the day-to-day functions as the WBA CEO.

J.R. Wilson is currently responsible for developing international wireless strategy and partnerships at AT&T, as well as managing domestic, international and Wi-Fi wholesale and retail roaming support. He joined the WBA Board in 2010 and has played a key role in championing Wi-Fi as an essential part of the mobile ecosystem and ensuring its benefits are widely recognized throughout the industry. He will continue to encourage interoperability and collaboration between members and further bolster the reputation of the WBA and its initiatives such as Next Generation Hotspots (NGH) and Wi-Fi roaming. On the 6th November, J.R. Wilson will open proceedings at the Wi-Fi Global Congress in San Francisco hosted by the WBA.

“With Wi-Fi hotspots predicted to grow by 350% by 20151, now is the time to drive the message that Wi-Fi is an essential complement to the mobile broadband experience,” said J.R. Wilson, Chairman of the Wireless Broadband Alliance. “We are very much at the front end of a significant transformation that is occurring in Wi-Fi the industry. The ecosystem is flushed with new ideas, companies and business models. Each day, thousands of new hotspots are deployed globally. In the last 12 months, the WBA’s membership has increased nearly 50%. I am honored to be a key part of this transformation. As Chairman, the WBA will further accelerate our efforts to advance the Wi-Fi ecosystem such that Wi-Fi is a seamless, secure and interoperable technology.”

“The past three years have seen the Wireless Broadband Alliance cement its position in the industry through significant growth in membership and with Next Generation Hotspot technology growing in acceptance. I have been delighted to serve as Chairman through this exciting period and I have now decided that it is now time to pass the baton to J.R. Wilson who will continue to promote the fantastic work that the WBA does for Wi-Fi. I look forward to giving him my full support as Co-Chair and the continued success of the organization," said Chris Bruce, Co-Chair of the Wireless Broadband Alliance.

“A surge in mobile data usage means public Wi-Fi is becoming an increasing popular connectivity solution. As a result operators are investing in its growth as a network complement J.R. Wilson is an ideal leader to engage the industry and deliver the WBA mantra that by employing simple connectivity, open standards and global operator relationships, public Wi-Fi will accomplish the success achieved by cellular technologies,” said Shrikant Shenwai, CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance.

Founded in 2003, the aim of the WBA is to secure an outstanding user experience through the global deployment of next generation Wi-Fi, incorporating technology innovation, interoperability and robust security. The WBA currently has 88 members including seven of the top 10 mobile operator groups (by revenue), major fixed operators such as BT, Comcast and Time Warner Cable; and leading technology companies such as Cisco, Google and Intel. WBA member operators collectively serve more than 1 billion subscribers and operate more than 1 million hotspots globally.

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